We shone so bright and burned to ashes
by thesecretrosegarden
Summary: Growing up in the shadows of her brother was never easy for Adeline but she was always the only one who was able to look behind the mask of the monster he had become and still remember the little boy with the soft blonde curls who cradled her in his arms years
1. The test

The night was pitch black and the only sound was the rustling of the wind in the tree above her head. "Where are we going, father" Her voice sounded frail and was barely audible, the grip of her tiny hand around his firm. Her father didn`t answer, just pulled her closer and dragged her with him, ignoring the fact that she stumbled several times becaue her small legs couldn`t keep up with his pace. Her lungs ached and her eyes burned from the wind that was getting stronger. Suddenly her father stopped in the middle of a clearing and the full moon made his face look sickly pale as he looked down to his daughter. "You were never what I wanted. You are not strong enough, you will never honor our family. You are nothing like your brother." His voice sounded cold and distand as he let go off her hand and took a step back. The dark eyes she had not inherited seemed even darker as he looked her up and down in despise. "If you want to live in my house, Adeline, you have to show me you are worthy enough to be my child. Right now you are a shame to all of us, I hope you know that."

The eyes of the four year old girl burned with tears she tried to swallow down. Her father hated it, when she cried. Her brother never cried, not even when their father was brutal and violent. In the distance, she could hear a wolf howl and shuddered. "Father, there are wolves out there. It`s full moon", she whispered, but her father just smiled. "Of course there are. Why do you think I took you here? Proof yourself to be worthy and you can live under my roof. Your brother killed a wolf when he was just your age. Here", he handed his daughter a knife that was as large as her forearm. She stared at it, pure terror in her eyes and when she looked up, he was gone. "Father?" Her voice sounded edgy and scared, but she was smart enough to whisper. How could he be so cruel and leave her alone? Tears streamed down her face as she cowered down and pressed her little hands over her ears. The howling grew closer.

* * *

The soft sobbing of a woman woke him from his dreamless sleep and he sat straight up in bed. It was not unusual to wake to the sound of crying in this household and he had gotten used to it. Soundlessly he slipped out of bed and walked out of his room. The door of his sister's room was open and a light was burning inside, which was fairly unusual for the fact that it was long past midnight. For a second he hesitated, his heart pounding violently in his chest, before he stood in the doorway and saw his mother sitting on Adeline's bed, weeping. The bed was empty, the covers thrown carelessly aside like she had just gotten up. "Mother, where is Adeline?" His own voice scared him because it was hoarse and deep. She looked up at him and smiled a sad smile. "Your father took her to the woods, Valentine. She is gone." The words cut like knives into his heart and he stiffened. He himself had been tested years ago, but he knew his fragile little sister had no chance out there alone and his mother knew it as well. "Why did you let him go?!" Rage welled up inside him and he clenched his fists, before he stormed out of the room, leaving her behind in her misery. It took him only a few seconds to change his pyjama for something more suitable for fighting, stuff knives into his belt an boots and head for the door. For a moment he hesitated, then chose the window instead. He didn't want his father to see him leave. Valentine turned back one last time and locked his door so that no one would know he was gone, then flung the window open and climbed out. His room was on the first floor, but there was a rain drain right next to him he used to climb down ever since he was a little boy. Just a few meters and his feet found solid ground again while his eyes searched the darkness. He had to find her before the wolves did, which was not easy considering the fact that there were kilometres of woods stretching around the manor. He had to be fast and hopefully he would not run into his father. No matter how weak and sickly his sister was, he loved her nonetheless. She was not what his family had hoped for, not the strong second male heir his father had wanted, but a little girl, pre-born and tiny, with soft brown curls and curious ice blue eyes. Her mother loved her, Valentine did not doubt it, but his father's hold on her was stronger than any love she felt for her child. She was weak when it came to Jacob, madly in love with a monster that bullied and abused her, hurt her children and even did not hesitate to kill his own daughter. Valentine had grown up being pushed to be better, smarter, faster and stronger. However, he had managed to make Jacob proud and had earned his trust while sweet little Adeline could never be enough for him.

His feet barely touched ground as he run, jumping over roots and making his way though the bushes. He could hear the howling of the wolves nearby, but still far enough to make it if he hurried. _,By the angels, please let her be alive',_ he prayed in his mind and gripped the dagger in his hand more tightly, his knuckles white from the strength with which he pressed the grip. His lungs burned, his heart pounded violently in his chest as he stopped for a second to listen. The voice of a child was audible somewhere in a distant, talking calmly so somebody. Valentine started to run again, recognizing his sister. Maybe his father was still with her, he thought and then froze as he stumbled on a clearing, terrified of the picture he saw.

His little sister stood there, still in her nightgown, wearing rain boots and holding a teddy bear in her left arm, a huge werewolf right in front of her. She was talking to him in her sweet baby voice and instead of killing her, the wolf was completely calm and let her stroke his fur. Adeline seemed delighted and it took her a moment to realize her brother was standing only a few meters away from her. "Valentine! Look, a real werewolf. Isn't he fluffy?", she cried out, a huge smile on her little face. The wolf growled in Valentine's direction but did not move. "Stop touching that thing!" Valentine's voice was sharp as a seraph blade and his sister let her hand sink down slowly. She opened her little mouth to say something, but Valentine was already next to her, pushing her aside as he attacked the wolf. It was so startled, that Valentine's dagger dug deep into it's skin, blood spraying though the air and leaving red stains on his clothes and the white nightgown of his sister. The little girl shrieked and fell backwards, watching in horror as her brother killed the wolf. It sank dead to the ground and Valentine approached his sister. He dropped the dagger next to her and grabbed her gown to wipe his hands. "You will tell our father that you killed it. You will tell him nothing about what you just saw, do you understand me? I was never here. You used the knife he gave you and killed the wolf when it tried to attack you. And NEVER, never touch a werewolf again, do you understand me Adeline?" The little girl had started to sob and nodded softly. "I'm sorry…", she whispered and Valentine was not sure if she was talking to him or the wolf.


	2. Stains on the wall

Silence.

That was the first impression sixteen year old Jocelyn got of the Morgenstern Manor when she entered it. It was silent and cold, not a place where you wanted to live or grow up in. Luke was right behind her and seemed to feel the same, because he moved closer to her, slightly brushing her shoulder with his.

"So, this is where I live. We won't stay long, I just need to grab a few things", Valentine explained and signed them to follow him through the great entrance hall, upstairs into his room. He had brought them here so he could pick up some of his clothes he had left here when he went to the Academy in Alicante. Jocelyn followed him, his hand his, fingers intertwined. When her feet touched the first step, she twitched when she realized someone was standing on the stairhead. Piercing blue eyes stared right into hers and sent chills down her spine. A little girl stood there, all dressed in black, which made her look even more pale than she already was, her skin nearly white against the dark fabric of her clothes, her form lifeless. She didn't move or speak, she just watched them ascend the stairs until they had nearly reached her.

"Addy my darling, look who's here", Valentine exclaimed, but no words left her mouth in return, not even a muscle in her face moved. "Why don't you come here and give me a hug? You haven't answered my last letters", her complained and opened his arms to hug her, letting go of Jocelyn's hand. The girl, however, still didn't move and as he attempted to touch her, she backed away. Valentine frowned and looked puzzled at her. "May I present to you, my little sister Adeline, who seems to be in an odd mood. Where is mother? I wanted to see her before I leave again", Valentine wanted to know, his voice soft and gentle. Jocelyn couldn't help but feel intimidated by the girl. She was maybe ten years old, fragile and small.

"Mother is not well", was the answer of the little one, her voice surprisingly strong and clear. "She does not want to see you."

Valentine crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"She didn't even know I was coming so how could she not want to see me? Where is she? I want to talk to her, Adeline."

The hint of a smile appeared on the lips of the girl, but it did not reach her eyes.

"I knew you were coming."

The words puzzled Jocelyn, but after a moment she understood. She had heard that in some Shadowhunter families, a rare gift was passed on, namely the gift of visions and foresight. It seemed that not only Valentine was a promising child for the family, but also his sister, the girl he had never spoken of before.

"Alright, I should have known that. Please Adeline, stop acting like that. Where is she? In her room?"

The girl rose her hand and pointed down the hallway on the first floor, her face the one of an angel, her eyes cold as ice. The three teenagers followed her gaze and Jocelyn felt her heart stop a few beats when she saw smears of blood on the white walls down the corridor.

"Adeline…?"

Valentine's voice sounded alarmed and terrified, while his sister only shrugged. "She was not well after father died. She is better now."

Valentine shoved her out of his way and ran down the corridor, Luke and Jocelyn at his heels. When he reached his mother's room he gasped and froze in the doorway. Jocelyn barely dared to look inside when she saw the shock on his face but couldn't help and stepped next to him. His mother lay on the bed, a dagger in her hand, her wrists cut. Her clothes and the bed were soaked in blood and next to the bed were little bloody footprints which showed that Adeline had been in the room. It was only then that Jocelyn, in terror, looked at the wall next to her and realized that the smears of blood were in fact little handprints, as if Adeline had painted the walls with her mother's blood. Valentine just stared at the scenery in front of him, barely any emotions readably in his face, despite shock, but even that was gone after a moment. "My god", whispered Jocelyn, unable to say anything more helpful in the situation. She had never seen a dead person before. Dead demons and other Downworlders, but never a Shadowhunter. Valentine suddenly turned around, his face pale and expressionless, is dark eyes fixed on his little sister.  
"Adeline, why didn't you tell anyone yet? Why didn't you call for help? Are you insane?!", his voice rose with anger and he grabbed her hard by the arm, dragging her down the hallway. She didn't make a sound, just let him push her into her room. "Wash yourself and then pack. You're leaving with us", he said, strict and without the affection he had displayed for her earlier.

"I have to call somebody and make some arrangements. Please wait downstairs for me", he turned towards Jocelyn, who was disgusted by how he reacted towards the death of his own mother. Cold-hearted, like it didn't touch him at all. "Okay…", Jocelyn whispered and searched for Luke's hand to hold on to something because she was shaking, while Valentine vanished into his sister's room.

* * *

Chapter 2 is here, hope you like it. Leave a tiny little review if you do, that would totally make my day :)


	3. Alone

Jocelyn didn't feel comfortable with the thought that she was basically alone at the manor. Her parents were in Alicante for some sort of a meeting and Valentine had an appointement at the Academy. She had asked Luke to come over but he was busy as well which left her alone with the freak kid, as she called Adeline. Seriously, she really tried to bond with the little girl but it seemed absolutely impossible. Valentine had brought her into the household because he could hardly leave her alone at the Morgenstern estate, but she barely talked to anyone, disappeared for hours or days without touching food or water they left her in front of her room and sometimes she just stood in doorways, watching with her piercing blue eyes that seemed so unnatural.

Jocelyn was scared of her to say the least.

She was but a little girl, she tried to remind herself, but there was something dark about her she couldn't explain. The way the walls had looked when they had found Valentine's mother a few weeks ago had shocked her. The girl however had not shed a tear since then, not at the funeral or any time later on. She seemed untouchable, like made of porcelain or stone. Her little face was so pretty it seemed nearly absurd to think that a sick mind was hiding behind it. It was hard to imagine that maybe once she had been a sweet little girl whose laughter had filled the rooms of the Morgenstern Manor. Today it seemed like all life had been drained out of her. She didn't play or laugh, she hardly did anything, at least it seemed like it.

A sound behind her let Jocelyn nearly drop her coffee cup. She spun around to face Adeline, who was standing in the doorway of Jocelyn's room, her face pale in the dim light, her eyes piercing and cold as usual.

"Addy…what…do you need something?", Joce asked and tried to keep her cool, even though the girl was freaking her out. Adeline tilted her head to the side and shook it softly.

"No. I was just checking."

Jocelyn frowned.

"Checking…what?", she wanted to know and placed the cup on her table.

"If someone was here. I thought everyone left."

Her voice was soft and sweet but cold underneath. It was hard to make out if she just acted that way or if there was really no emotion in her as it seemed.

"Oh well Valentine left and my parents so it's just you and me. Do you…wanna do something? Play or read a book together?", Jocelyn tried to smile but it didn't really work out. The girl looked puzzled at her.

"Play? I'm not a child anymore, Jocelyn", she said in a grave voice that nearly amused the other girl.

"Well you are eleven, which is…young. I played at your age. I loved dolls and horses and stuff like that. What do you like?"

For a moment the expression in Adeline's face changed and she looked even more bewildered than before, but it only lasted for a second.

"I don't play. I never had dolls. And I like…I don't know, that is a weird question."  
Jocelyn did not know what was particularly weird about that but she just shrugged. "What do you do when you disappear into your room for hours? You must do something then you like", she tried again because she was curious to get to know Adeline better. Today she seemed in the mood to talk a bit, which was unfamiliar but pleasant.

"I read. I guess I like reading. Or I just listen to you", she gave back and stepped into the room, her little arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You listen? Through walls?"

"I have good ears. And you are quite loud sometimes. Especially at night…"

Jocelyn felt her cheeks burn at this comment. How could an eleven year old say something like that? Gods, she felt embarrassed and really didn't know what to answer. Adeline, however, did not seem to bother at all.

"Don't worry. My father was a cruel man. He liked it rough, my mother didn't. They were louder."

The words sounded awkward coming from a girl her age and Jocelyn couldn't help but think about in which environment Adeline seemed to have grown up. No wonder she was such a brat now.

"Well…you seem to have very good ears", was all Joce managed to say and grabbed her coffee cup again, holding on to it for dear life. The conversation had taken an unpleasant turn.

"You are scared of me"

The words made her look up und hold her breath for a second.

"No, I'm not, why would I? You are just a little girl." The words came out too fast and Jocelyn shuddered a little when the girl's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Because you came to our house with Valentine and ever since then you fear me. You think, in a corner of your mind, that maybe my mother didn't kill herself but I did it. That maybe I am dangerous. You don't want to be alone in the house with me because you fear what I could do with you when no one is here to save you…"

Joce stared at Adeline in disbelieve, her hand slightly shaking.

"No, I…", she began but Adeline just laughed.

"That's silly, Jocelyn. I'm just eleven years old. Why would I kill my own mother? After all, she wasn't the bad person in the household. I was quite fond of her, at least sometimes. I don't mind her being gone though, I like being with Valentine. And just for the record. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that a long time before. When he is gone and you are asleep. I would pierce your throat with a knife, so that you can't scream without choking on your own blood. And I would twist the knife a bit, so that it would hurt more. My father taught me how to. But why would I do that? After all, we are family now, right?"

Jocelyn's blood had frozen in her veins and her heart was racing in her chest. Her mouth was dry and she just stared at Adeline who still had a smile on her face that seemed wicked.

"Good night, Jocelyn. Sleep well. And close your windows tonight. It's full moon."

With that, Adeline turned around and slowly left the room, humming a song as she disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, leaving Jocelyn behind in terror.

* * *

Thank you so so much for the kind reviews and favs, they mean so much to me! here's a new chapter with my favorite freak kid :D hope you like it! Leave a review if you do 3


	4. The Faces

„_The night is dark, and full of terror"_

The child's fingers dug deep into the frosty snow beneath her naked feet, her nails scratching the frozen earth underneath. The cold comforted her, the paleness of the snow sucked the darkness out of her mind. She could still see the faces staring at her, but the tears blinded her so much that she only saw them in a blurred, unreal way. They looked less frightening, when she couldn't make out their features.

"Adeline…?"

A distant voice pulled her back into reality and the faces faded, until they disappeared completely. It was Jocelyn who made her way through the dark garden, a coat wrapped around her body, that used to be trained and slim and now obviously showed her pregnancy. "What are you doing out here? It's long past midnight. And why are you wearing no shoes?"

She sounded like the mother Adeline had never had.

The girl did not turn around but waited until Jocelyn knelt down beside her. Upon seeing her tears, she reached out and stroked them away.

"The faces?", she whispered and Adeline nodded softly.

"Come on inside, I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate."

They rose together and made their way inside the mansion. It had become their ritual lately. Jocelyn used to find Adeline couching outside near the woods in the middle of the night and brought her in to a soothing cup of hot chocolate, before tugging her into bed again. The little girl was not so little anymore after all. Her 12th birthday had passed and she was becoming a woman. However, the ghosts of her past seemed to haunt her more frequently now, more severely than anyone could imagine. She saw them everywhere, their faces, their apparitions. Sometimes just shadows of who they had used to be, sometimes distant figures that reached out to her.

It was her own personal nightmare.

When she had been younger, she had dreamed of things to come. She had seen her mother's death long before she had committed suicide. She had seen her father's and had kept her mouth shut about it because she had wanted him to die. Her heart had been made if ice and stone thanks to him. Her mind had been absorbed in cruelty, but these days were gone now. She had recovered but sometimes, misery was born from happiness and her happiness had faded into despair. Night after night, the nightmares woke her at the exact same time. She heard them calling out to her and she ran outside, but no matter how far she ran, she would never reach them. The first time this had occurred, Valentine had found her at the gates of Idris, miles away from home, unconscious from exhaustion, with the sun rising slowly above her head already.

"You know that we have to do something about that, Addy. We can't go on like this. It's consuming you", Jocelyn said in a low, but serious voice and looked at the girl over a cup the placed in front of her.

"I know. I just…I don't know. I feel like all of this has a meaning and the Silent Brothers will destroy it. Whatever is messing with my head is…not there for no reason. The faces they…they want something from me. They call me every night and I just…I fail to understand them. I need to understand them, Joce. They won't leave me alone otherwise."

Addy wrapped her ice cold fingers around the warm porcelain.

"Remember when I threatened you to kill you in your sleep months ago? How coldhearted I was when I came here? That was my father's work and I will not allow him to take my sanity away from me as well. He made a monster out of me, and now he is haunting me. They are all haunting me", she whispered and her ice blue eyes stared into the dark liquid.

"It's nearly as if they want to punish me for being…better, happier. They appeared when I slowly started to feel comfortable here. When your house started to be my home. Now they are calling me away from you. I…can I trust you with something?"

She looked up at Jocelyn, who nodded.

"Of course you can, Addy."

"Don't tell Valentine, will you?"

"I won't, I promise!"

A soft sigh.

"I think they want to kill me."

The words hung heavy in the air and Jocelyn stared at the girl for a moment, unable to process what she had just heard.

"Why would they want to kill you, Addy? And how? It's..not even proven they ARE ghost. Maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you…"

The girl shook hear head.

"No. I know they want me dead. I let them die, now they want revenge. They are not merely calling me. It's like they have a hold on me. I cannot help but follow the voices, no matter how hard I try not to. Nothing helps, I am completely out of my mind. They possess me and lure me someplace and I think they lure me to my death. I want you to help me, Joce. With Luke. I want you to let me go and see where they lead me. Don't stop me but follow me to wherever I go. And if I'm about to die, safe me but don't act otherwise. But don't tell Valentine because he won't like that idea…"

Jocelyn's eyes widened.

"Well I don't like the idea either. I won't allow you to do something like that. We will visit the Silent Brothers and see if they have an answer to your problems. Maybe someone is trying to mess with your mind? They shall check your runes and protections, see if something is not intact there…"

Adeline glared at her and rose up from her chair.

"Yeah whatever. Send me to the Freaky Brothers. They sure know how to help me!"

She was out of the kitchen before Jocelyn was even able to open her mouth. With a sigh she watched her disappear into her room and slam the door shut.

Teenagers.

* * *

The door opened silently and Adeline didn't even realize that someone entered because her music was way too loud. When Valentine tapped her shoulder, she nearly had a heart attack and jumped from her bed.

"Holy f…ire"

Her heart skipped a few beats and she stared at her brother, ripping the earphones from her ears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Valentine's voice was soft and gentle, as usual.

"By the angels, what are you doing here? It's 4 in the morning."

Valentine sat down on Adeline's bed and mustered her.

"I saw your lights on and I just wanted to make sure you are okay…"

Adeline sighed and stared at her blanked. "Jocelyn talked to you about our conversation earlier this night, didn't she?", the girl asked and her brother nodded. "Yes she did. And Addy, we really need to do something. First I thought you were just having nightmares, later I guessed you were developing a sleepwalking problem but now…this is a whole new level of frightening. It is getting worse and there is no way we can just ignore it. Something is happening with you and I am really, really scared that it will eat you up. You look horrible lately, tired and worn out. We all just want to help you Addy, you just have to let us do so…"

His voice carried genuine concern and Addy felt a little guilty. She didn't want to see the Silent Brothers because she was scared to hear what they were going to tell her, but she didn't want Valentine or Jocelyn to worry about her too much. They were the only good things that happened to her in her life. Her father had been violent and cruel, her mother abusive in her own way. She had been cold and empty when she was brought into the Fairchild household but there she had healed. The darkness had been replaced by the light and love of the people around her and she did not want to lose all this.

"Alright…I will see the Silent Brothers. But I will not go there alone. You have to come with me…"

Adeline sounded scared and insecure, like any other twelve year old would, facing the descent into the City of Bones. Valentine smiled and pulled the girl into an embrace. "Of course I will. I would never let you go there alone. I will not leave your side, I promise you. I will never leave you", he whispered in her ear and placed a kiss on her brown curls. His sister was nothing like him. She was not charming or self confident, nor did she have his looks. In fact, she was the exact opposite of him, but Valentine knew that deep inside of here, something was hidden. A strength and gift that needed to be discover and something she needed to learn to control in order to live with it. He – unlike many others – did not believe she was slowly losing her mind. Valentine believed that the answer to all of her problems were connected to the abilities she had always shown. Empathy, visions and now the gift to see the dead – they were unusual powers for a Shadowhunter, but it was not impossible to have them. As she wrapped her thin arms around his well trained body, he felt calm for the first time in quite some while. The circle, his experiments, Jocelyn's pregnancy – it was all stressful and time absorbing but Adeline always reminded him of what really mattered: family. She was his family and there was no way on earth he would ever let her down. No matter the cost, he was going to save her from whatever was haunting her.

* * *

Sorry the Update took me forever! Life is just CRAZY right now, I barely find the time to write. Hope you like it, leave me a review if you do 3 I highly appreciate them! xoxo


	5. The road to hell

"And?"

Jocelyn was already in the doorway when they approached the heavy wooden doors of the mansion. Adeline looked worn out, Valentine distressed. It was only two days after their midnight conversation and today they had seen the Silent Brothers to find answers to the state the girl was in.

"I'm completely mental and they advised me to be admitted into an asylum", Adeline said sarcastically and shrugged, while Valentine rolled his eyes at her.

"She is absolutely fine. No one is messing with her head or is invading her mind. It all comes from her abilities which grow stronger now that she is approaching adulthood. It's worrisome but we cannot change it. She needs to learn how to control it", he explained to his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Jocelyn, however, did not feel content.

"So that's it? She will run out every freaking night trying to find ghosts until she learns to control her gift?"

Adeline nodded.

"You better start tying me to the bed I guess. I have no idea how to control any of this", she explained and pushed past Jocelyn.

"I'll be in my room."

With this she hurried upstairs and a few moments her door was hit shut on the first floor. Downstairs Valentine sighed heavily. "We will find a way to deal with it. Just not today. I'm tired and I need to write down some things. Maybe you should go to bed already, I'll join you later my love", he whispered in Jocelyns ear and placed one hand on her growing belly, a hint of a smile on his face. His fingers stroked the soft material of her nightgown and under it he felt the baby kicking. "Already a fighter", he chuckled and gently led her inside, before he closed the front door behind them.

"You should sleep. All this studying in the cellar makes you pale and tired. You need to rest as well, Val. At least tonight, please", she begged him, but he shook his head. "There are things that need to be done before that. Go and sleep honey, I'll be upstairs in an hour or so", he promised before he kissed her again and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

It was two in the morning when he sneaked upstairs and checked if Jocelyn was really asleep. He then continued to his sister's room and opened the door without a sound. Silently he went over to her bed and placed one hand over her mouth. She was wide awake within an instant, ice blue eyes staring at him in the darkness.

"Shhhh…follow me", he ordered, before he slowly pulled his hand back and gestured her to follow him. Adeline was puzzled but did not ask any questions. She slid out of bed, naked feet touching the cold ground below, before she hurried after him. Valentine did not speak while they went downstairs and neither did she because it seemed to be important to be quiet. When they reached the door to the basement, however, Adeline stopped. "Where are we going?", she demanded to know but Valentine just grabbed her wrist and pulled her after him. She had never been in the basement that Valentine used as his place to retreat because he did not like it when someone went down there. Now she somehow felt like she was invading his private space even though it was him who ordered her down here.

In one of the storage rooms they stopped and Valentine pressed against one of the bricks in the wall. The wall started sliding to the side and revealed catacombs behind it. Adeline slowly followed her brother in astonishment, eyes wide open. Did the Fairchilds knew this was down here?

"These catacombs were built centuries ago, long before the Fairchild Manor was built in this very spot. I found them a year ago", he explained and made sure his sister stayed next to him. "Why are we down here, Val?", she asked again and this time, he turned around for a brief moment to study her face.

"I might have found a way to help you."

With those words he led her into a huge room, but Adeline already froze in the doorway. There were cages on the walls and in them, creatures. She stared at them in disbelief, unable to step inside what seemed to be an laboratory.

"Come on, we don't have all night", Valentine demanded but when he turned around, he realized, that the shock of realization had just hit Adeline.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. Father did the same thing. Those are just some Downworlders, most of them will be dead by the end of the week. I needed them for my experiments", he explained as if it was absolutely normal and grabbed a book from a shelf.

"Experiments?", her voice sounded shrill in the silence of the room. "Like the experiments that even brought me here? Father and you injecting whatever they found into me to make me stronger, faster, better? These kinds of experiments?"

Valentine's face hardened.

"Well apparently it saved your life back then because otherwise he would have killed you for not being good enough."

"So I shall count myself lucky because I was his lab rat? And now I am supposed to be yours?"

Anger rose inside of her like a monster, digging its way out of her soul.

"Adeline, calm yourself down. I will not experiment on you, alright? I just found a potion in the White Book that may help you. I only need you to drink it. It's for your own good." His voice was calm and soothing, but his eyes were the color of a starless nightsky. Dark, cold and dangerous.

"I won't drink any of it. What is in it anyways?"

With a sigh he opened the book and looked at the page.

"This and that. Dust from a fairy, blood from an angel…the usual."

"Dust from…WHAT? Angel's blood? Where on earth did you find that? We owe our existence to an angel, don't tell me you have assaulted one", Adeline breathed, her eyes still widened in terror.

"No, I bought it. I have no idea where it came from and I don't care, alright? I have not hurt an angel, nor a fairy if that helps you. The creatures in the cells are vampires and one werewolf, that's it."

"That's it? They still are living beings. Who are you to keep them in cages like animals? You disgust me!" She spit the words in his face and his hand landed in hers in return. The noise of his fingers digging into her skin was ugly and reminded her of childhood in a sick way. Her father had beaten her, over and over again. She had nearly forgotten what it felt like in the safe environment of the Fairchild family.

Her brother, however, had not.

"Stop judging things you don't understand! You are but a child and you have no idea about the world outside these walls. They are living beings that have no right to exist. And now shut up and drink the potion!"

Her words had roused his anger and Adeline knew that this was a dangerous thing. She knew it was like waking up a dragon, whose fire would burn her. When she made no attempt to draw nearer, he just grabbed her and dragged her to the table. "You can make it easy and drink, or I will force it down your throat. Choose", he hissed and pinned her down on the table, obviously hurting her in the process, but he didn't care when she winced. She waited for a few seconds to hear her answer but when she only struggled to get free from his grip, he took the small bottle with the potion and forced her mouth open.

"I'm just doing this to help you, Adeline. You will see, you will be better in a few days", he said and rudely pushed the bottle between her teeth. She tried to bite his fingers but only bit the glass. It shattered in her mouth and cut her lips, while the potion dripped inside and washed the shards away, cutting her throat as well. Valentine placed his hand over her lips so that she had to swallow and only stopped when she was literally screaming under his grip. Blood was pouring from her mouth as she opened it and she seemed to be choking on what she had forced her to drink. The liquid burned worse in her body than the splinters of glass. It seemed to spread in her blood system, rushing through every vein. Adeline buckled under the pain and collapsed to the ground, where Valentine caught her and pressed her close to himself.

"Shhht, it'll be over in a minute, don't worry. I'm sorry, it's just for your own good, honey", he whispered and held her tightly, his hand stroking her curly hair while blood was dripping from her mouth and nose and she was shaking in agonizing waves of nausea and pain. He was right though. It was over after a few minutes and Adeline remained in his arms, unable to move or breathe properly. She felt the burning sensation of a rune being painted into her skin and at least the pain in her mouth and throat from the glass eased. Despite that she remained worn out and felt Valentine lift her up in his arms, carrying her upstairs. The last thing she saw before darkness swallowed her was a pair of yellow eyes that reminded her of something she had nearly forgotten. A dark forest. Howling in the air. A pair of yellow eyes and a blonde boy with a seraph blade in hand. He had been her savior back then. Tonight he was had paved her road to hell.

* * *

So here we go again ^^ I finally have time to write and Adeline that tiny monster inside of my head just wants her story to be written down. Shame on her. Pleaaaaase review :) I just love to know what you think 3


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